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Ongoing Projects

Current & Coming to NOTA

Things are definitely happening in NOTA! The word is out that NOTA is a great place to live and do business. In just the past two years, three businesses have made the decision to move from Pittsford to NOTA!

NOTANA closely monitors community development. The following developments are afoot or recently completed in the neighborhood. If you know of others not on this list, please contact NOTA Association Development Monitor Evan Lowenstein.

Special thanks to CITY Newspaper for featuring NOTA—and the flurry of development projects here—in its June 17 issue! Read the article.

600 East

Developer Morgan Management plans to replace the one-story building on the northwest corner of East Avenue and N. Goodman Street. The new four-story building will include 10-12 high-end apartments and a small office. Construction could kick off by early summer, with the project scheduled to take a year to complete. See the Democrat and Chronicle story for more info.

Village Gate Square Expansion

The 51,000 square feet of new commercial/office/retail space continues near the CSX railroad tracks, north of the main Village Gate buildings. These new buildings are nearing completion. Soon, there will be quite a few new businesses and offices in NOTA! Additional parking has been constructed behind the grey Village Gate building at 320 North Goodman Street, with a new entry from Circle Street.​ See the renderings. If you have any questions or comments about the Village Gate expansion, give the Stern Properties main office a call at 585-442-9061. Read more here.

Elton Street Development

Dutton Properties and other developers are renovating and redeveloping 4 and 34 Elton Street.

The City Planning Commission has approved an application for alternative parking for a 5,000 square-foot restaurant and bar proposed for a portion of the building at 4 Elton Street. The establishment would be open 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and is characterized as having "nightclub space without live entertainment." The application is specifically for a waiver of the current parking requirement of 50 spaces for an establishment of that type and size. The project architect has researched the area and determined that existing parking in the area means 50 spaces would be excessive and not consistent with the type of pedestrian-scale urban design desired and appropriate for this area. The restaurant's plan is to hire as many employees as possible from NOTA so that they can walk, rather than drive, to work.

See renderings of the project below.

The brewery building will be 19,500 square feet, featuring fairly modern design, on the southeast corner of the site. The building will primarily be a manufacturing facility, but will also include retail sales, an indoor tasting room, and outdoor patio. There will be extensive landscaping ($40,000 worth at least), public space improvements (sidewalks, curbs, LED lighting, etc.). This building will NOT function as a bar. This news remedied our concerns about intoxication, noise, and the like often associated with drinking establishments. Truck traffic will be minimal (with a loading dock off of Anderson Avenue near Tony's Collision) and late-night operations will be very infrequent. There will be around 20 employees working at the brewery.

The brewery owners are extremely excited about NOTA, as is the developer, who is known for his projects in the area such as the Pomodoro/Saha/Revelry complex on University Avenue, and the near-complete townhouses on Park Avenue (at Barrington).

The original plans also showed a small light industrial building on the northwest corner of the site (Norwood and Atlantic). The developer told us, however, that there is no current tenant interested in that building and that this is a second phase of the overall project with no current timeline. The developer is open to our ideas and help to attract interest to that part of the site. For now, it will remain vacant. The area is zoned industrial, and residential development is not allowed on the site, but if you have any thoughts, ideas, or connections to those who might be interested in "phase two," please let us know!

The developer intends for the building to be highly efficient and green. The brewery owners intend to work in cooperation rather than competition with other neighborhood establishments—planning to come up with creative co-promotions with other food/drink businesses in the neighborhood to improve business for all, foot traffic in the neighborhood, and the like.

Clearly, this project will transform this long-blighted area of the neighborhood and bring urbane design, activity, and foot traffic to this "no-man's land."

Based on our meeting with the City and developers, and thanks to comments we received from residents, the Neighborhood Association has submitted a letter of supportfor the project, with qualifications regarding emissions control and green space.

From Atlantic Ave

Atlantic and Norwood Street Views

North and East Renderings

933 University

Morgan Management's 99-unit apartment complex is well underway just east of the George Eastman Museum. Presently, the foundation of the structure and basement are near completion. The small house operated by the 40/8 Monroe Voiture Veterans organization has been demolished (but note that the larger house is being restored for future use by the Veterans). Download the presentation and renderings submitted to the Preservation Board.

33 Russell, "The Factory"

The Factory is a mixed-use development in a former industrial building at 33 Russell Street. The building is being transformed to include lofts, offices, and commercial, restaurant, and retail space. With a nod to energy efficiency and sustainability, the site has incorporated a geothermal heating system. A few businesses already occupy the building—including the restaurant Nosh and Stacy K Floral. Dutton Properties is the developer, which also owns and is renovating 34 Elton Street, former home of Bush Mange Drum and Dance (which now operates out of Visual Studies Workshop at Prince and University). Find out more at the developer's website.

247 N. Goodman, "The Carnegie"

This building, across Goodman Street from Anderson Alley Artists/CITY Newspaper, was being renovated by developer Gary Stern (owner of Village Gate) into offices. After suffering a catastrophic fire on January 27th, the building that was once a part of the University of Rochester campus has been torn down and the site will be redeveloped.

Public Improvements

Inner Loop Transformation

In order to encourage economic development, reconnect neighborhoods, and further revitalize downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, the City of Rochester has closed and is filling in a section of the Inner Loop, a sunken highway loop around downtown built in the 1950s. This segment, between Monroe Avenue and Charlotte Street, is being transformed into a more traditional city boulevard with development-ready sites.

The "big fill" of the East End Inner Loop section is complete and the new (restored!) boulevard-style Union Street is near completion as well. The City has also announced the proposed plans for the redevelopment of the East End section. For more information, see the City of Rochester's project page. Also, follow the work's progress on the webcam.

East Main Arts and Market District

The City has finalized plans for transformation of the public realm in the East Main and Public Market area. See more about the process at the City's project page, and get up-to-date details on the dedicated Facebook page.